Playing House
by writeallnight
Summary: Kensi's fear of babysitting Sam's daughter is real but with Deeks by her side she might just be able to conquer it. Shenanigans and Densi cuteness ensue. Takes place after Season 4 Episode 21 "Resurrection".
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey folks! I am bored and putting off writing a paper on Telemann so I am uploading another story just for you! This story takes place after Season 4 Episode 21 "Resurrection" where Sam asks Kensi to babysit. Now for the quandary. Sam often mentions his "kids" on the show but we have only ever seen his daughter. So. Does he have one child or more? No conclusive evidence is to be found on this subject so for the purposes of this fic Sam has one child but this child has a best friend who I imagine is over all the time hence his use of the term "kids". Also can you tell I've been writing research papers? Enjoy!

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><p>"Would you relax?" Deeks asked, looking down at Kensi's death grip on the armrest. "They're just kids."<p>

"I can't help it!" Kensi hissed. "Kids make me nervous!"

"What is wrong with you? Kids are adorable."

"You can't take your eyes off of them for a second! They break things, they get into trouble, and they hurt themselves."

"Has all of your information about children come from watching 'The Little Rascals'?"

"You are not helping!" Kensi smacked his shoulder.

"Ow! I'm here aren't I?" Deeks asked. "You volunteered us for this remember?"

"Well what was I supposed to do? Sam was going to disown me!" Kensi cried.

"Okay, you need to calm down. Kids can smell fear."

"Deeks!"

"We're here!" He stopped the car abruptly. "I'll be right with you. It's only a few hours."

He climbed out and went around to her open window. "You getting out today?"

Kensi took a deep breath and determination flashed in her eyes. She opened her door and stepped out. "Let's do this."

Deeks smiled and watched her march up the sidewalk. It was going to be a fun night.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Sam smiled broadly as he ushered them into his home "Thanks again for doing this guys. We really appreciate it."

"Yeah, yeah no problem," Kensi said quickly. "So, uh, where is the little angel?"

Sam raised his eyebrows. "She's freaking out isn't she?" he asked Deeks.

"Nah, she's great!" Deeks exclaimed. "And don't worry, Uncle Marty is here to party!"

"Deeks…" Sam began.

There was a knock on the door and Callen stuck his head in. "Hey, you ready? We're gonna be late!"

"Yeah almost," Sam held him off with a hand. "Addy and her best friend Bria are watching TV in the family room. Bria is allergic to peanuts and strawberries and she only eats organic so there are soy chicken nuggets in the refrigerator along with a broccoli salad. They can have tofu ice cream sandwiches for dessert."

"Wow, sounds tasty," Deeks told him, his face saying it was anything but.

"And Addy needs to use her inhaler if she has an asthma attack. And no drinks after 9 pm because she might-"

"We'll be fine!" Deeks insisted. "You two go have fun."

"Deeks-"

"Buh-bye!" Deeks closed the door in Sam's face and locked it with a flourish. "Wow, okay, is there no fun in this house?"

Kensi didn't answer and instead stood staring at the door. "Kensi? Hello?"

"I can't do this," she shook her head. "Nope. I'm leaving." She reached for the door handle but Deeks caught her hand.

"Kensi, Kensi listen to me," he looked directly into her eyes. "You can do this. I am right here with you."

"No, Deeks, children do not like me. They don't. I have no parenting skills whatsoever because, I mean, look at how I was raised and they know it. They can smell the fear Deeks!"

"Kensi, you are an NCIS agent. You fight bad guys for a living. You can handle two eight year olds. Pull yourself together!"

Kensi took a deep breath. "Okay. Okay."

"You good?"

She nodded. "I'm good."

They moved into the living room and found the girls, one with pigtails, one with a ponytail, sitting on the couch surrounded by an army of small, fluffy, stuffed animals. "All right!" Deeks clapped his hands together and reached for the remote, turning off the TV. "Who's ready for some fun?"

Both girls stared up at him. "Who are you?" the one with the pigtails finally asked.

"Ah, you must be Bria because if you were Addy you would know that I am your Uncle Marty. And this is my partner your Auntie Kensi."

"Just Kensi is fine," Kensi piped up nervously.

Bria turned and whispered to Addy who turned and looked at them both. "Is he your boyfriend?"

Kensi let out a loud snort. "Him? Me and, and him?" she laughed. "No. Definitely no."

"Why not?"

Kensi ignored the look of deep affront her partner was giving her. "Because he just isn't."

"He looks like your boyfriend," Bria told her.

"Well he's not," Kensi said through gritted teeth.

"Hey, you know what?" Deeks began but Addy interrupted him.

"Why do you have long hair like a girl?"

Deeks gaped for a second, unable to form a response. "Why do you have long hair like a girl?" he asked slowly.

Addy glared at him. "I am a girl."

"That was weak," Kensi whispered never taking her eyes off of the children in front of them.

"Whose side are you on?" Deeks cried.

"We were watching 'Good Luck Charlie' and you interrupted," Bria told him. She turned the TV back on. "You're in the way."

Kensi and Deeks backed out of the room and into the hallway. "I thought you said you were good with kids!" Kensi hissed.

"This is a tougher crowd than I was anticipating," Deeks told her. He thought for a moment. "Okay. New strategy."

Deeks marched back into the living room and turned the TV off for the second time. "Hey!" the girls cried, scowling at him.

"Who wants pizza?" Deeks asked.

They stared at him suspiciously. "I'm not allowed to eat pizza," Bria said slowly. "Mommy says it's garbage for your body AND your mind."

"I'm sure she does but tonight Uncle Marty is in charge and he says everyone is eating pizza tonight! To the kitchen!" he declared.

The pizza was ordered within minutes and several fizzy, glucose filled beverages along with it. "Now we need a fort," Deeks declared when he had hung up the phone.

"How are we going to build a fort?" Addy asked.

"Well," Deeks squatted in front of her, "it just so happens that Auntie Kensi is something of a fort expert."

The girls' eyes swung to Kensi's. She looked at Deeks who nodded encouragingly. "Okay, forts. Well, we're going to need some couch cushions and…a lot of blankets," she said slowly.

Within seconds the girls had vanished in search of fort building supplies. "See?" Deeks asked. "You got this."

"Yeah," Kensi replied with a smile. "Maybe I do."

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><p>AN: Well? Thoughts? Questions? Comments? Relieve me of my boredom and drop me a review!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Well hey there folks! Thanks for all of those who favorited my story! And a special shoutout to Hoosier65 for being my star reviewer! Chapter 2 is here! Enjoy!

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><p>By the time the pizza arrived they had built a fort that encompassed most of the living room and included a tower made of boxes that Deeks had scavenged from the garage. "Pizza time!" Deeks yelled as he closed the door, three boxes in one hand and a bag of drinks in the other. "Grab your plates and head to the fort!"<p>

Addy hesitated. "We're not supposed to eat in the living room," she said uncertainly.

Kensi knelt in front of their young charge. "Addy, you are so right. It's important to follow the rules. But it would be a shame to waste this very nice fort that you worked so hard on right?" she winked at the girl.

Addy thought for a moment. "Yeah I guess so," she said happily and skipped off to join the party.

"Nicely done Kensalina." Deeks appeared from the kitchen chomping on a Twinkie.

'Where did you get that?" Kensi asked. "Their pantry is like a mini 'Whole Foods'."

"Secret stash. You and Michelle are kindred spirits," he told her.

"Come on!" Bria yelled from the living room.

"You heard her," Deeks said. "The party awaits!"

They chowed down on pizza and breadsticks while watching an episode of "Dog with a Blog." "Wait," Deeks said around a mouthful of pepperoni, "you're telling me that the parents have never noticed that the dog can talk?"

"Nope!" Bria told him. "Only the kids talk to him."

"The parents don't seem very bright," Kensi observed, reaching for another breadstick. "Who lets their kids do all this crazy stuff?"

"They're the fun parents!" Addy said.

"Yeah, well, they're going to fun parent their kids all the way to Gitmo," Kensi said with a snort.

"What's Gitmo?" Addy asked.

Deeks and Kensi glanced at each other. "Who wants ice cream?" Deeks went for a distraction rather than an explanation.

"Me!" both girls yelled.

"Okay!" Deeks rose to his feet. "Looks like I am making an ice cream run."

Kensi's eyes widened and she followed him into the hallway. "Where are you going?"

"To the grocery store," Deeks told her. "Michelle is good but even she can't hide ice cream."

"You can't leave me here!" Kensi said desperately.

"Kens, I will be gone fifteen minutes. You're doing great. Just relax." He squeezed her shoulder and opened the door.

"Deeks, Deeks!" The door closed and Kensi was alone.

"Where did Uncle Marty go?"

Kensi turned around slowly to find both girls standing in the hallway watching her. "He went to get the ice cream," she eyed them both, her stomach tight with nerves. "So…what do you want to do now?"

Bria whispered something in Addy's ear. "Rainbow Loom," Addy told her firmly.

"Excuse me?" Kensi asked.

It turned out "Rainbow Loom" was a knobby piece of plastic that came with about eight million teeny, tiny rubber bands that could be woven together to create multi-colored bracelets and other assorted accessories.

"Hold still Auntie Kensi," Addy said as she twisted a rubbery blue headband into Kensi's locks.

"Ow! Okay, yep, it's in there!" Kensi told her. "And apparently it's never coming out," she muttered to herself.

"Aunt Kensi you and Uncle Marty should get married," Bria said as she braided together some pink and yellow bands.

Kensi froze. "Why, why, why would you say that?" she asked, trying to maintain her calm.

"Because you like each other," Addy told her.

Kensi forced a laugh. "No, we're just, no we're not getting married."

"But why?" Bria asked. "He's funny and nice."

"He is funny and nice," Kensi said slowly. "But you can't just marry someone because he's funny and nice. Besides, Uncle Marty is my work partner. It would be weird if we got married."

"But you could wear a white dress and have flowers and cake," Addy said. "Don't you want to get married?"

Kensi's mind was racing as she tried to keep up with the girls. This conversation had gotten out of control, way, out of control and she felt powerless to stop it. "Girls, I think…"

"My mom and dad got married and then they had me," Addy informed them as she began creating yet another bracelet.

Kensi's danger alarm flared as they continued. "If you and Uncle Marty got married then you could have a baby," Bria suggested.

"Uh…"

"And then we could babysit for you," Addy continued.

Kensi felt a little lightheaded. "I don't think…"

The door opened announcing Deeks' arrival. "What are we doing ladies?" he asked with a smile.

"Uncle Marty do you want to mar—"

"Hey why don't you make Uncle Marty some bracelets?" Kensi asked loudly. "And we'll go get some bowls."

She got quickly to her feet and dragged Deeks from the room. "What the-ow!" Deeks shook her off once they reached the kitchen. "What the heck is wrong with you?"

"Nothing!" Kensi said quickly, searching the cupboards for bowls. "Just thought you might need some help."

Deeks eyed her suspiciously. "Yeah, sure." He cocked his head. "Do you know that you're wearing a tiara?"

"Yes," Kensi said through gritted teeth. "We were having fun. And now we're going back to have more fun Uncle Marty."

"What's got you all hot and bothered?" he asked.

"You left me alone with those, those little interrogators! They're more effective than waterboarding!"

"Oh, yeah, I should have mentioned that. Never let kids take charge of the conversation. It always ends badly."

"Yeah, thanks!"

He raised his eyebrows. "So, what secrets did they get you to spill?"

"This is not funny!" she shoved a finger into his face. "I am not telling you anything!"

"Aw c'mon Kensi!"

"No! Let's go. The ice cream's melting."

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><p>AN: There it is! Feedback is always appreciated! Although preferably of the loving kind, not the kind my conducting professor gives which is soul-crushing and makes me feel about two inches tall...Anywho thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: You guys are the best. For real. I so appreciate all the sweet reviews! They were just what I needed. Here's a little something to jumpstart your week: the final chapter! Enjoy!

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><p>"Here we go!" Deeks pulled out a can of whipped cream and shook it vigorously. "Who wants some?"<p>

"Me!" the girls cried shoving their bowls toward him.

He capped both ice creams with a generous amount of topping. "You do know the correct way to eat whipped cream though, right?"

Both girls shook their heads. "Watch and learn little ladies." Deeks tipped his head back and shot whipped cream directly into his mouth. "Right? Who wants some?"

The girls squealed in delight and laughed as he squirted whipped cream into both of their mouths. "Want some?" Deeks asked, turning to his partner, a cheeky grin on his face.

Kensi shook her head. "I'm good."

"Aw, c'mon Auntie Kensi. All the cool kids are doing it," he teased.

Kensi set her jaw. "Fine. Bring it."

"Open wide." Deeks' eyes sparkled with mirth.

Kensi obeyed and he lifted the can into position. "One, two, three!" The can fired but not into Kensi's mouth as planned. Instead it made a spitting noise and sprayed her entire face with sticky cream.

Deeks froze, the can still in midair as Kensi slowly wiped her eyes to the sound of the girl's giggling. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he said quickly as Kensi lowered her gaze to glare at him.

The glint in his eyes and the twitching of his mouth said he was not sorry in the least.

"Deeks, I'm going to kill you," she said calmly.

"Now Kensi, Kens, it was an accident," Deeks told her, slowly backing away.

"Accident my—"

"Fern, there are children here!"

Kensi lunged, grabbed the can from him, and squirted a large amount of whipped cream directly into his face. "Kensi!" he sputtered wiping cream from his eyes. "Girls, don't try this at home!"

The girls were rolling on the floor by this point, peals of laughter filling the air. Kensi smiled at him smugly. "Now we're even. Pass the sprinkles please."

He handed her the container and pretty soon they were all digging into the variety of flavors Deeks had purchased. In between bites the girls braided Rainbow Loom bands into Deeks' hair and slid bracelets up his arms until he was nearly as decked out as the rest of them.

Kensi watched in silent fascination as her partner was beautified by the two little princesses. He took it all in stride, not protesting even as the girls pulled on his shaggy locks. He'd meant it. Kids really did like him. There was something very touching about it.

Kensi gave herself a mental shake. Of course children loved him. He was like an overgrown child himself. This was what she kept repeating to herself an hour later as they all snuggled into the fort watching a movie.

"I can't believe you've never seen 'Mary Poppins'," Deeks said for the fourth time as Dick Van Dyke danced across the screen.

"Movies were not an activity of priority for my father," Kensi said softly, noticing the girls' drooping eyelids. "I think maybe it's time for bed."

Deeks stretched and looked at his watch. "Yep, I guess so. Let's go little ladies. It's off to bed with you."

"Five more minutes," Bria pleaded.

"Nope," Kensi told her. "It's way past your bedtime anyway."

"You take them up and I'll get rid of the evidence," Deeks suggested.

Kensi glanced around the room and grimaced. There were pizza boxes, ice cream cartons, and fort materials strewn from one end of the room to the other. "Good idea."

When she returned twenty minutes later without the girls the living room almost looked like normal. The blankets were stacked in a neat pile, the couch cushions had been returned to their rightful place, and the pizza boxes and ice cream cartons had vanished. "I'm impressed," Kensi said as she looked around. "Do you moonlight as a French maid?"

"Well I may have had some practice with after party cleanup during my misspent youth," Deeks told her with a grin.

Kensi collapsed onto the couch. "I'm exhausted," she groaned. "Watching children is ten times harder than shooting bad guys."

Deeks joined her on the sofa. "Admit it. You had fun."

"Maybe a little," Kensi said grudgingly. "But I wouldn't do it for just anybody."

"That's fair," Deeks agreed. "Want to see what's on TV?"

"Actually I was kind of hoping we could finish 'Mary Poppins'," she told him.

Deeks grinned. "You mocked my love of musicals. For years you've mocked my love of musicals."

"Well," Kensi tried not to smile. "Maybe you've converted me. Just put on the movie." She shoved him good-naturedly and settled deeper into the couch cushions.

Deeks shook his head in surprise. "All right then. 'Mary Poppins' it is."

When the final credits rolled an hour later Deeks stretched and looked over at his partner. "Are you crying?" he asked incredulously.

"No!" Kensi swiped furiously at her eyes. "My eyes are watering from exhaustion."

"It's okay if you are," Deeks continued. "I won't judge you. It's very moving, the whole father learning to spend time with his children thing."

"If you tell anyone about this I will tell Callen and Sam that you can sing the entire 'Phineas and Ferb' theme song AND that you knew it before you got here."

"Okay, okay!" Deeks laughed. "What do you want to watch next?"

"Is there a 'Mary Poppins 2'?" she asked.

"Um, no," Deeks scoffed. "When something is perfect you don't make a sequel."

"But Bert and Mary Poppins didn't end up together," Kensi protested.

"They're not supposed to," Deeks explained slowly, as if to a child. "It's not about them."

"Well it should be," Kensi grumbled.

"Come on, be a big girl and pick something else," Deeks encouraged as he slid off the couch and onto the floor, opening up the cabinet under the TV to inspect its contents.

"What are my choices?"

"The Land Before Time #82, Barbie and the Magical Princess Unicorn, Monsters Inc, Harry Potters 1-7, The Notebook, and Saving Private Ryan," Deeks rattled off.

"Seriously?" Kensi wrinkled her nose. "Monsters Inc."

"You sure? No 'Notebook'? No 'Saving Private Ryan'?"

"Nope! I need popcorn," she bounded off the couch and into the kitchen only to return several minutes later with a bowl of popcorn and a bag of M&M's. "You found the stash!" Deeks said brightly. "I'm impressed."

"Loose board in the back of the pantry," Kensi replied, popping a kernel into her mouth. "Not the most creative, but very effective."

"Movie is up. You ready?"

"Ready!"

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><p>Deeks woke abruptly and blinked several times. The end credits were rolling on the television and the popcorn bowl sat empty next to him. He started to stretch and that was when he realized Kensi was curled up against his side, sleeping on his nearly numb arm, which was trapped behind her shoulders.<p>

He gazed down at her sleeping face and smiled. She still had on a lopsided tiara and a very large, chunky necklace as well as multiple bracelets. He was so proud of her. She'd done a great job tonight and had handled every challenge thrown at her. She deserved every second of sleep she got.

Kensi sighed and snuggled closer to him and Deeks felt his heart skip a little. He shook his head in surprise. What was happening to him?

The sound of the tumbler turning in the front door lock alerted him to the fact that Sam and Callen were home. "Well, the house is still standing," Sam grumbled.

"I told you they'd be fine," Callen replied.

Deeks suddenly became very aware of the compromising position in which he and Kensi sat. "Kensi," he shook her gently with his free hand. "Wake up."

Kensi blinked and stretched. "Is the movie over?"

"Sam and Callen are here," Deeks said, sliding his arm out from under her. In her exhausted state she didn't seem aware of how close they had been and Deeks felt a mixture of relief and disappointment. There was no time to evaluate his feelings however because Sam and Callen had reached the kitchen and were about to walk through the door.

"Kitchen looks okay!" Deeks heard Callen call.

"You good?" Deeks asked his partner.

"Yeah," Kensi yawned and reached for the remote as the senior members of the team came into the room. "Hey guys, how was the game?"

"We lost," Sam said, his eyes searching the room for any signs of destruction.

"Nice accessories Deeks," Callen said with a smirk.

"You're just jealous because we didn't make any for you," Deeks told him. "The children are safe, upstairs in bed. They have been fed and entertained to their hearts' content and now we are going home."

He reached for Kensi's arm and pulled her off the couch. "Hold on a minute," Sam held up a hand. "What exactly did you all get up to this evening? What activities did you do?"

"Is it not enough that we babysat for you?" Deeks asked. "We have to give a detailed report of our evening? I'll put the write-up on your desk first thing Monday morning, boss."

"I'm just interested in what you all did tonight," Sam said with a smile. The kind of smile that said he knew exactly the kinds of things they had been up to all evening.

"We had food and we watched movies," Kensi told him. "Just a normal night at home."

"A normal night at home."

"Yes," Kensi told him firmly.

"Then why do I smell…" he sniffed the air, "pizza?"

"Run," Deeks advised.

They both took off for the door. "Deeks!" Sam yelled.

"By Sam! You owe us!" Deeks yelled back as he slammed the door.

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><p>AN: And there it is! This is the end of this one but there will be something new soon, I promise! Final reviews are always appreciated! Thanks again for reading!


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